Archive | September, 2015

Indonesia would have 4,000 peacekeepers deployed worldwide as part of UN forces by 2019, Vice President Jusuf Kalla pledged at the UN Peacekeeping Summit on Monday, expressing his desire to see Indonesia expand its role in ensuring world peace.

In his speech, Kalla said that aside from appealing for more conflict prevention measures, Indonesia would remain committed to world peace and order as mandated by the preamble to the 1945 Constitution.

“Indonesia remains steadfastly committed to realising our vision of 4,000 peacekeepers by the year 2ዓ. Towards this end we have recently established a security and peacekeeping centre to train future peacekeepers. The centre also welcomes participants from other friendly countries,” he said.

Earlier this year, Indonesia finalised the deployment of an 800-strong composite battalion to the UN African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

Indonesia is also in the final stage of deploying three Mi-17 utility helicopters to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali.

According to Kalla, Indonesia will be ready to deploy a military composite battalion and a formed police unit by 2016, including 100 individual police officers, in which a minimum of 40 would be female.

“Even the smallest contributions matter. They can make a difference in maintaining international peace and security,“ said Kalla.

The UN has more than 120,000 troops and police deployed in 16 missions around the world at a cost of over US$8 billion a year. The United States funds over 28 per cent of that amount.

However, an all-time high demand for UN peacekeeping has continued, outpacing the UN’s capacity to respond to crises around the world, and also draining the pool of personnel and equipment contributed by member states, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

During the summit, which was initiated by US President Barack Obama, China agreed to expand its miniscule peacekeeping force of around 3,000 to 8,000 troops, and provide some $100 million to ensure peace in Africa.

��China will join the new UN peacekeeping capability readiness system, and has thus decided to lead in setting up a permanent peacekeeping police squad and build a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his speech.

During the summit, Obama also announced that more than 50 countries had offered to contribute a combined amount of some 30,000 peacekeeping and police personnel.

“We know that peace operations are not the solution to every problem,” Obama said. “But they do remain one of the world’s most important tools to address armed conflict.”

Despite the growing demand, Indonesia has called on the UN to provide clarity with regard to the mandates of missions, particularly on the distinction between peacekeeping and peace-enforcement.

Indonesia has also called for a wider effort in conflict prevention, saying that rather than having to deploy large numbers of soldiers and police officers as UN peacekeepers, the world should work harder to prevent inter-state conflicts from happening in the first place.

“States can prevent conflicts and the rise of radicalism among others by ensuring social justice, more equitable economic development, an inclusive and participatory political process and good governance,” Kalla said.

Amid mounting tension over North Koreaâ�s possible launch of a long-range rocket in October, South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday urged Pyongyang to cease provocative acts and curb its pursuit of atomic weapons to allow for peace on the peninsula and a better future for its people.

At the 70th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, Park said that North Korea should choose the path of reform and open its doors to the world to improve life for its people, seeking to bring international attention back to the reclusive regime as the Syrian crisis dominates the global agenda.

“The DPRK would do well to choose reform and opening rather than additional provocations, and to endeavor to free its people from hardship,” said Park.

“Pushing ahead with provocations, including its nuclear development program, will undermine the values of humanity’s peace espoused by the international community and the UN,” she said.

Park was raising her concerns on human rights conditions in North Korea for a second time, after her debut speech at the UN last year. She called on the international community to address the North Korean human rights issue, citing the report of the Commission of Inquiry on human rights in North Korea published in the same year.

It remains to be seen how North Korea would respond to Park’s attempt to highlight its human rights situation on the international stage ― an issue that Pyongyang has been as sensitive about as it is to global condemnation of its nuclear development.

The South Korean leader also asked the international community to turn its attention to North Korea’s nuclear disarmament, highlighting a successful deal reached over Iran’s nuclear programme in July,

Using the word “peace” 30 times in her 23-minute speech, Park said North Korea was the last hurdle for the global society to open a nuclear-free world.

Park was the seventh keynote speaker at the annual assembly, after Russian President Vladmir Putin. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong, head of Pyongyang’s delegates to UN, was absent when Park delivered her speech, according to reports.

â�Resolving the North Korean nuclear issue should be accorded the highest priority if we are to uphold the integrity of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and live up to the aspirations of humanity for a world without nuclear weapons,” Park said.

Park also criticised North Korea for threatening provocative actions that would violate Security Council resolutions and that could thwart the planned reunion of separated families.

“This will not only do harm to the hard-won mood for inter-Korean dialogue, but also undermine the efforts of the members of the six-party talks to reopen denuclearisation talks.

”We must no longer use political and military reasons as excuses for turning a blind eye to humanitarian issues, in particular the reunion of the separated families.”

The remarks came amid a mix of hope and concern growing on the Korean Peninsula after a breakthrough inter-Korean dialogue in late August, when the two sides agreed to defuse military tensions and hold reunions of separated families from the 1950-53 Korean War.

Despite the reconciliatory mood that followed the talks, North Korea said earlier this month that it would launch a rocket to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party.

Seoul and Washington speculate that Pyongyang’s plan is an attempt to test its ballistic missile technology. If North Korea goes ahead with a launch, the regime is likely to be slapped with further sanctions by the UN as well as international condemnation from Washington and even from Beijing, its traditional ally. Chinese President Xi Jinping in a summit with U.S. President Barack Obama last week that he opposes any action that violates UN Security Council resolutions in an apparent warning against North Korea.

The South Korean leader also presented her vision of unified Koreas, stressing that it would bring peace and international prosperity.

“A peacefully unified Korea will be a thriving democratic nation free of nuclear weapons and upholding of human rights.

“What is more, a unified Korean Peninsula, both as a symbol of peace in our global village and a new engine of growth ― will contribute greatly to peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia and beyond.”

Ending her four-day trip to the UN, the president attended an event to promote Korean culture in the heart of New York City and also to thanked local supporters who have been active in spreading Korean culture.

Two Singaporeans were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in August for planning to join militant group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and take up arms, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Wednesday.

The two men were detained in separate cases. They are Muhammad Shamin Mohamed Sidek, 29, who was previously convicted for inciting violence on social media, and Muhammad Harith Jailani, 18, who was radicalised by ISIS propaganda online.

Shamin was a self-radicalised individual who was influenced by ISIS’ online propaganda.

In May this year, he was convicted and sentenced to three months’ jail for inciting religious violence through his pro-ISIS postings on social media.

“As he continued to express unstinting support for ISIS throughout his three-month imprisonment, he was arrested under the ISA in July 2015 for investigations to assess if he posed a threat to Singapore’s security,” the ministry said in a statement.

Investigations by the Internal Security Department found that Shamin planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS once he had raised enough money to fund the trip. He also considered fighting alongside a militant group in the region aligned with ISIS if he could not join ISIS itself.

The ministry added that Shamin was not deterred by his arrest under the ISA, and said he would pursue his plans to join ISIS after his release from detention. He added that he was prepared to die in the course of defending the “caliphate” ISIS had declared.

As for Harith, the ministry said he was radicalised by ISIS’ online propaganda.

“He was prepared to be trained by ISIS to fight and kill the group’s enemies, and to die in the process so that he would receive divine rewards for dying as a martyr,” it added.

The ministry said that as part of his preparations, Harith had collected information on how he could travel to Syria, and had attempted to recruit those around him to support ISIS’ cause and to join the terror group together with him.

“The detentions of Shamin and Harith underline the persistent ISIS threat and the threat posed by self-radicalised Singaporeans,” the ministry said.

“A few of the Singaporeans who have been detained had even been prepared to carry out terrorist attacks in Singapore.”

Two other Singaporeans were detained under the ISA earlier this year for trying to join ISIS.

M Arifil Azim Putra Norja’i, 19, was detained in April for trying to join ISIS. He had also made plans to kill the Prime Minister and President if he could not travel to Syria.

Mustafa Sultan Ali , 51, was detained in July. He had been arrested by Turkish authorities and deported while trying to cross into Syria to join ISIS.

In its release today, the ministry added: ” The government takes a very serious view of any form of support for terrorism, including but not limited to the use of violence, and will take firm and decisive action against any person who engages in such activities.

Ferdous Ahmed was waiting in a queue on the third floor of Jamaraat Bridge in Mina to join the symbolic “Stoning of Satan” ritual.

It was around 9am local time on September 24 when thousands of pilgrims gathered there to perform the ritual.

He didn’t have the slightest of idea about the tragedy awaiting his fellow pilgrims.

He saw a crowd of pilgrims on the ground floor trying to approach the parapet of the bridge. All the entrances to the four-storey bridge were choked with pilgrims, leaving them stuck around.

“All of a sudden, I heard people screaming on the ground floor. The security personnel were forcing pilgrims out of the bridge at two points,” Ferdous told The Daily Star at Shahjalal International Airport last night after returning from Jeddah on a Biman flight.

Around 10 minutes later, he learnt that at least緈 pilgrims died on the ground floor.

Later, he heard that a royal guest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had been there to perform Hajj rituals. To ensure his security, the law enforcers closed some entrances to the bridge, putting the pilgrims in deep trouble.

The stampede occurred as the pilgrims tried to enter the ground floor of the bridge at a time after all the gates were opened, Ferdous added.

Tofazzel Hossain and his wife were also waiting in a queue near the Jamaraat Bridge around 9am on the fateful day.

“At one stage, the security personnel asked the pilgrims to make space for the arrival of the Saudi prince and his companions. Consequently, there was a huge crowd and things turned bad,” said Tofazzel.

Soon they heard people and law enforcers screaming for help. They could feel that something bad happened there.

But it was not before around 11am when they came to know that several hundred pilgrims died there in a stampede.

The 55-year-old government employee from Feni was speaking to this correspondent at the airport on Monday night after returning home from Jeddah on a flight of national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

“People were worried and panicked. We had no scope to move forward to have an idea of what was happening around as nobody would leave the queue for fear that they would not be able to perform the stoning ritual,” he added.

His wife Jesmin Ara, 45, said the tragedy could have been avoided if the high-level Saudi delegation didn’t arrive there at that time. The couple saw many ambulances and police vans arriving the area.

Some Bangladeshi pilgrims observed that the tragedy unfolded in Mina mainly due to poor security management. They claimed the roads leading to Jamaraat Bridge were choked with thousands of pilgrims after the security officials had closed two key roads.

Some other pilgrims said the incident took place mainly due to pilgrims’ anxieties over the severe hot weather in Mina. The temperature was around 45 degrees Celsius.

Matiur Rahman, 60, from Barisal blamed the pilgrims’ casualties on the “negligence� of Saudi authorities.

“They [Saudi authorities] just can’t blame the stampede on anybody. The incident occurred due to poor security arrangement,” he observed.

Fifty-five-year-old Abul Kalam Azad from Jessore district, however, said he thought the huge rush of pilgrims, lack of proper guidelines from the Saudi authorities and the anxieties among pilgrims led to the disaster.

The pilgrims urged the Saudi authorities to ensure proper management during the future haj seasons.

Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Huang Huikang said he chose to visit Petaling Street on the eve of Mid Autumn Festival out of goodwill in order to find out for himself whether there were any security concerns at the famous tourist destination.

He said this was necessary before a decision was to be made whether to issue a travel alert to Chinese nationals visiting the country.

He nevertheless regretted that his goodwill had been misunderstood and misinterpreted by some irresponsible individuals. He consequently warned these people not to exploit his Petaling Street visit to go against the Malaysian government.

“I totally support and respect the Malaysian government. Isn’t this message clear enough? When you get the whole thing clear, no sound-minded people would then say the Chinese Ambassador is trying to interfere.

“I did it out of goodwill and sincerity, and therefore regret that my goodwill visit has been distorted and misinterpreted by people.”

During a joint interview with Sin Chew Daily and other local newspapers at the Chinese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the ambassador said he nevertheless did not regret having visited Petaling Street despite the misunderstanding and the subsequent controversies. He said he only regretted that things had developed this far.

He said he chose to visit Petaling Street last Friday purely because it was a well-known landmark with a long history, the internationally famous Chinatown popular among Chinese tourists.

“I heard it was not safe there while others said there could be terror attacks in Jalan Alor. Many people asked me whether KL was safe since the United States had already issued a travel advisory for Jalan Alor.

“Petaling Street is a popular tourist destination and I needed to go there myself to evaluate whether it was necessary to issue a travel warning.”

Huang stressed that his visit to Petaling Street had nothing to do with yellow or red shirt rallies or the rumored rally on September 26. “It was a regular activity to pay a visit to the local Chinese community. I went there to distribute mooncakes!

“Do you know that I brought two types of mooncakes with me? One type was halal mooncakes for the Malays.” Huang said he went to Petaling Street with his wife in a batik outfit, showing that it was an informal event.

He said he even declined a welcome ceremony offered by a local Chinese organisation. “You can’t stop me from going there just because something is going to happen tomorrow!”

Huang told Sin Chew Daily visiting Petaling Street on the eve of Mid Autumn Festival should have been a very normal thing to do. He lamented that the incident had developed into a diplomatic row due to confusion over the fundamental concepts and misinterpretation by irresponsible media and individuals.

He said the diplomatic row should not have taken place at all, and hoped the whole thing could come to a rest very soon, stressing that Malaysia and China would always remain close friends, buddies and partners.

“This incident has not only commanded tremendous attention here in Malaysia but also in Greater China and the international community.

There have been all kinds of comments but I could see that web users view this issue with a largely positive attitude.

“Personally I have received numerous calls and SMS, mostly showing their support and positive attitude.”

While 90 per cent of responses have been positive, Huang said it was not a bad thing for people to voice up against his visit to Petaling Street, but this has to be done in an objective, fair and well-intentioned way.

Huang said the spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry Hong Lei had reiterated that China had no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, and he felt Huang’s visit to Petaling street on September 25 was a normal activity.

The ambassador said he was perceived as having interfered in Malaysia’s domestic affairs due to his response to a reporter’s assumptive question whether China would intervene in the event of a large scale anti-Chinese incident in Malaysia.

“How am I supposed to answer such a sharp question? A ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer will both not be appropriate.

“I told the reporter I could only provide a generalised answer to such a question, i.e. non-intervention in Malaysia’s domestic affairs, which was clear enough.

“My response later has been general talk, that China insists on the fundamental principles of peaceful coexistence, and that we will never intervene or interfere in other country’s affairs.

“And in the event the national interest of China and legal rights of Chinese citizens and companies come under assault, China will never sit down and do nothing, which is a standard diplomatic attitude of the Chinese government.

“Did I mention anything about the Malaysians in my remarks? Or did I mention Chinese Malaysians and Petaling Street? What I said was something very common and was consistent with the official stand of the Chinese government.

“We have said and done so for the past 66 years and no one has said a word against it. I want to ask my Malaysian friends whether there was anything wrong with what I said? No one told me it was not right!”

Huang also said he had so far not received any letter to summon him from the foreign ministry, and that his meeting with acting foreign minister Hamzah Zainuddin on Monday was only a working meeting.

He said from his clarification with the foreign ministry, the message he got was that the Malaysian government wished to confirm whether his speech at Petaling Street had been wrongly interpreted.

The ambassador said he was personally a friend of Hamzah, and that it was he himself that offered to meet Hamzah over Sino-Malaysian bilateral relationship..

“We talked about bilateral relationship and the progress made in such a relationship this year. We also talked about the upcoming visit by the Chinese leader while exchanging views over the call-in controversies.” Huang said they reached a consensus at the end of their meeting that it was absolutely essential for both countries to continue strengthen our bilateral relationship.

NEW DELHI – The Taj Mahal will need nine years of mud packs to remove yellow stains from its white marble walls caused by air pollution, the Times of India reported on Wednesday.

The Taj Mahal is India’s top tourist attraction.

Archaeologists said the lengthy period was needed to properly and safely clean particles from the four minarets and the main dome of the famed monument to love.

Authorities have taken numerous steps in recent years to try to protect the 17th-century monument from pollution coming from the busy city of Agra nearby, including banning local coal-powered industries.

The mud pack cleaning was announced last year, followed by a local ban on the common practice of burning cow dung for fuel, in order to reduce the carbon deposits on the Taj’s walls.

The Times of India newspaper outlined an action plan by authorities after submitting a Right To Information request to access government documents.

The Taj — India’s top tourist attraction — was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth in 1631.

It has drawn a string of world leaders and royalty including former US president Bill Clinton, while Diana, the late British princess, was famously photographed alone on a marble seat there in 1992.